Hurricane Joaquin gained strength to become a Category 4 storm on Thursday.

Joaquin had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

As of 8 a.m. EDT Friday, the storm was located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north-northeast of Long Island and was moving northwest near 3 mph (6 kph). Hurricane force winds extended outward up to 50 miles (85 kilometers) and a hurricane watch was in effect for Bimini and Andros Island.